This invention relates generally to the method of fabricating knit sweaters, and more particularly, is directed to a method of fabricating a knit-in pocket directly in the sweater panel construction.
It has been the common practice by prior workers in the art to provide pockets in knit garments such as sweaters, shirts, vests, and dresses by fabricating a separate tubular pocket either of knit material or other material which is entirely separate from the garment construction itself. The garment is then slit in a desired location to provide an opening therein and the separate pocket fabric is then affixed to the sweater or other garment at the opening by hand sewing wherein it is securely affixed in place, the said panel opening providing access to the pocket itself. When utilizing this method, the garment at the pocket construction is three layers thick comprising an outside layer consisting of the garment panel itself, and the two inner layers which define the pocket and which are formed of the tubular pocket where it is affixed to the garment. The remainder of the sweater or other construction is only one layer thick in all other sections. This variation in thickness or bulk detracts from the aesthetic effect of the garment and also results in considerable increase in fabrication costs in view of the additional hand operations required. Because of this, it was economically unadvisable to design a sweater having a plurality of pockets. Also, the prior art type of pocket is characterized in being supported by the garment only along the upper sewn edges thereof where they are actually connected to the upper and lower margins defining the opening in the garment panel which communicates with the interior of the pocket. After continued use, the marginal edges of the garment panel which define the opening into the pocket tend to gap and sag inasmuch as the sewn edges are the only portion of the knit panel which supports the pocket.